WCMB-TV
Not to be confused with WABM, the real life, MyNetworkTV affiliated station serving Birmingham, Alabama. WABM (Digital and virtual channel 9) is a MyNetworkTV affiliate licensed to Erie, Pennsylvania , with studios and transmitter in Summit Township. WABM is owned by Mission Broadcasting, making the station a direct sister station to Fox affiliate WFXP, both stations being sister stations to ABC affiliate WJET-TV due to a LMA with WJET's owner, Nexstar Broadcasting, who operates the station. The main subchannel on 9.1 serves as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV, while 9.2 carries Tribune Broadcasting's Antenna TV, and 9.3 carries FremantleMedia's game show subchannel network Buzzr. The station signed on in 2016. History Virtual channel 9 was once the home of the WLEP-LD subchannels, with their digital channel having been on UHF channel 43, which operated from 2011 to 2015. 9.1 was affiliated with Luken Communications' Retro TV (branded RTV from 2009 to 2013), 9.2 carried PBJ, and 9.3 carried TuffTV during the day and classic movies from the 1930s to 1950s at night. LocustPoint Networks purchased the station with the intention to auction off the channel in the upcoming UHF spectrum auction then signed it off the air for good. 3 days after WLEP went off the air, Mission Broadcasting applied for a full power license for the vacant digital VHF channel 9 frequency in Erie. Mission had wanted the physical and virtual channel 9 frequency in Erie for some time, but it was unavailable due to the previous station's existence. The FCC granted the license on October 1, 2015. The station started test transmissions in December. During the interim, Nextstar Broadcasting, which agreed to operate the station under LMA as they already have been doing with sister station WFXP, reached a deal with Fox Television Stations, Inc. to air the MyNetworkTV syndication service, which had previously only been available in Erie on cable via Cleveland's WUAB 43 and on Dish via superstations WWOR out of New York City and WSBK out of Boston, on 9.1. They subsequently reached deals with Tribune Broadcasting and FremantleMedia North America to air AntennaTV on 9.2 and Buzzr on 9.3, respectively, both of which were not available in Erie prior to the station's launch. The station launched on January 25, 2016 at 12pm. The station used the first three hours to air preview shows from all three subchannels. From 12 to 1, the station aired Law & Order: SVU, representing the main channel, from 1 to 2, the station aired back to back reruns of All in the Family, representing the AntennaTV subchannel, from 2 to 3, the station aired back to back reruns of Match Game '78 starring Gene Rayburn, representing the Buzzr subchannel. WABM simulcasts WFXP's Fox 66 News at 10 every night and airs a repeat of WJET's Jet24 Action News 11pm newscast at 1am. Even though the station does not use the "My" branding that other affiliates of MyNetworkTV uses, it utilizes the multi shaded "blue TV" component used by the syndication service itself. Digital subchannels Confusion between WLEP and WABM WABM is not related in any way to the defunct WLEP-LD. WABM's physical digital channel is located on a different frequency, and WABM is a full power station, while WLEP was a low power station. Category:Channel 9 Category:Erie Category:Pennsylvania Category:MyNetworkTV affiliated stations Category:Nexstar Broadcasting Group Category:Television channels and stations established in 2016 Category:Buzzr affiliates Category:AntennaTV affiliates Category:Mission Broadcasting